Separated from the mainland, Tasmania is often overlooked as a travel destination. The once penal colony is surprisingly easy and affordably accessible by air or ferry across Bass Straight. Like Cape Town, sublime in its grandeur, its wee capital sits in the shadow of a towering mountain.
With the heritage sandstone architecture in the background, every Saturday the best flavours of Tamania come out and play at the renowned Salamanca market. With over 300 stallholders lining the streets, you can expect to find mouthwatering food and produce, artisan jewellery, clothes and timber crafts, as well as vintage collectables.
The bite sized capital also plays home to the underground labyrinth that is MONA. Burrowed deep in to the coast of the Berriedale Peninsula, the museum presents antiques, new and contemporary art from the David Walsh collection. For those who are curious and have yet to visit, it can best be summed up as a subversive adult Disneyland.
If nature is more your cup of tea and you are stuck without a car, Mount Wellington is a stone's throw from the centre of Hobart. Cab it, bus it, hitchhike it, tour it or walk it to the top. Be warned: it is a 14 km trek to the top. You could stop along the way and refuel at Cascade Brewery, the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia. And, once you reach the top, gawk at your colossal achievement (and uninterrupted views of Hobart below).
Straying further afield, Tasmania is a nature lovers' wonderland with its diverse and unspoiled landscapes. From highlands carved by glaciers, to solitary beaches and colourful alpine wilderness,there is something for every season and every person.
Finally, we mustn't forget World heritage listed Port Arthur - one of Australia's most evocative convict settlements. The site is home to ruins and restored period homes dating from the prison's establishment until its closure in 1877. Now you can explore and learn about the hellish conditions prisoners lived in or how some saw it as a beacon of hope in starting anew.
So, maybe on the next long weekend, venture that little further afield....to Tasmania!
